Comparison of the Effectiveness of LAR and CURB-65 Scores in Determining Hospitalization Decisions in Acute Pneumonia Patients

Objective: This study aims to assess the efficiency of the Lactate/Albumin Ratio (LAR) and CURB-65 scoring in determining the need for hospitalization in acute pneumonia patients in the emergency department. Methods: Our study was conducted retrospectively in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital from 1 February, 2024, to 1 August, 2024. Patients who presented with lower respiratory tract infections and were diagnosed with acute pneumonia between 01.02.2024 and 01.08.2024 were included in our study. All patient information was collected from electronic medical records. Results: A total of 77 patients were included in the study, of which 30 were hospitalized. The mean age of the patients was 68.8 ± 12.2 years, and 46.8% (n=36) were male. When comparing patients discharged from the emergency department with those admitted to the hospital, the discharged group had lower respiratory rate, BUN, lactate, CURB-65, and LAR values, which were statistically significant (P